A Birthday to Remember
by RoxxiSanders
Summary: They hadn’t spoken about that night at Christmas since and things had been slightly awkward between them. He didn't know it was her birthday but when he finds out, Greg makes it his duty to give Lexxi the perfect first birthday in Vegas. Read A/N inside.


**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing and am making no profit from this so please don't sue me :)

**SUMMARY:** They hadn't spoken about that night at Christmas since and things had been slightly awkward between them. She hasn't told anyone about her birthday but Greg finds out and makes it his duty to give Lexxi the perfect first birthday in Vegas.

**A/N:** This is a sequel to A Christmas to remember but you don't have to have read it to follow this one.

The bits in italics are flashbacks

**TITLE: **A Birthday to remember

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

It had been four months since that night and things were still a bit awkward between Lexxi and Greg. On Christmas Eve, 2007, Greg had kissed her and he had kissed her back. A few hours later, the snow had melted somewhat and they had ended up going back to his place for pizza and a movie.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

"_Lex, do you wanna come and watch a movie at my place?" He smiled shyly at her and she mirrored his expression. Everyone else was sitting talking but the snow had melted enough to let them out and Greg didn't want to spend Christmas Eve on his own._

"_Are you sure, I don't wanna impose?" She looked at him, uncertainly in her eyes._

"_I'm positive and you wouldn't be imposing, I asked you after all." He smiled a reassuring smile at her, hoping that she would agree._

"_In that case sure, I would love to come." He grinned at her, feeling a nervous twitch in his stomach. _

_They had said their goodbyes, exchanging hugs with everybody and then walked out of the building and headed down to the parking lot. When they reached Greg's car he looked at her questioningly. "Do umm…do you want a lift back to my place?" She looked at him, wondering how he knew she didn't have her car. He could tell what was running through her mind and smiled at her again. "Catherine told me that your car was being stupid and wouldn't start; said she gave you a lift in this afternoon."_

"_Yeah she did." She looked at the floor nervously, not knowing what to say to him._

"_Well I'll give you a lift back to my place and drive you home later." She looked up and opened her mouth but he knew what was coming and stopped her from speaking. "No it's no bother because you are coming back to my place and you could never impose." She smiled at him as he unlocked the passenger door and held it open for her. She got in and they went back to his place."_

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

It had been a lovely evening but things had taken a turn and now there was an awkward and almost forced atmosphere between them. It had been that way for four months and Lexxi's heart broke as she thought about how things had ended up between them.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

_By the time the movie had ended, Greg was sat on the sofa with his arm resting along the back of the sofa and Lexxi was sitting next to him with her legs folded underneath her and head resting in the crook of Greg's shoulder. "Wouldn't it be great if life really was that simple?" She broke the silence between them and Greg looked down at her._

"_Maybe but then life would be boring." She nodded and quietly agreed, thinking about how boring her life would be without Greg in it. "Thanks for coming over by the way."_

"_You're welcome, thanks for inviting me…I'm glad I didn't have to spend Christmas Eve alone." He looked down at her again and she tilted her head to look up at him, mesmerised by his chocolate coloured eyes._

"_Me too." He suddenly tore his gaze away from hers, trying to clear his head. "I'd better just go and wash the dishes." She nodded and reluctantly lifted her head from his shoulder, adjusting herself into a sitting position. _

"_Do you want any help; I could dry them for you?" He smiled and nodded then stood up and walked into the kitchen as she followed him in. He squirted some washing up liquid into the sink and added water, creating lots of bubbles and covering the dishes in soapy water._

_They washed and dried the dishes in a comfortable silence until Greg got a handful of suds and blew them at her. He laughed and she mock-glared at him, a smile forming on her lips when he grinned at her. "Oops." _

"_You are…" She trailed off grinning and dipped her hands into the water, picking up some of the bubbles and flicking them at him. Before they knew it, they were both flinging suds at one another across the kitchen, Lexxi trying to use a tin tray to defend herself. She darted past him and grabbed some of the bubbles as Greg turned around, realising what she was up to. _

_He grabbed her waist and lifted her onto the counter, making her squeak in surprise. He rested his hands on the counter, on either side of her hips and smirked at her. "Gotcha."_

_She laughed and he looked into her eyes, amazed by their depths. When he finally managed to look away, he turned to walk away from her but she wrapped her legs around his waist, crossing them at the ankles and pulling him back to her. He turned around, surprise written all over his face. "Greg…" She trailed off and he leaned over, resting his hands on the counter again and leaned in close to her face. She lost all rational thought as he joined his lips with hers and kissed her with everything he had. His hands moved to her lower back as she wrapped an arm around his neck, one hand playing with the hair at the nape of his neck as her other slid into his spikes. He moaned into her mouth as she opened it, accepting his silent pleas for her to let him deepen the kiss._

_They eventually pulled away, the need to breathe becoming a factor, and panted heavily as he rested his forehead against hers. "That was…wow." She giggled; something she never did and he smiled at her. When they both caught their breath he leaned in again and captured her lips again only this time things became more heated and he picked her up, her legs still wrapped around his waist, and started carrying her down the hall. He kicked open his bedroom door and walked backwards towards the bed, tripping over one of his 'Converse All Stars' in the process. He fell back, luckily lading on the bed, and she landed on top of him, their lips still joined. They pulled apart again and took in a deep breath before fusing their lips together once more. His hands moved down her back and slipped under her shirt, caressing her bare skin. He finally managed to pull his lips away from hers, long enough to tell her, "If you want me to stop you'd better say something now."_

_She pulled back, pushing herself up so that she could look him in the eyes. "Don't stop." She breathlessly told him before collapsing back onto his chest and claiming his lips. _

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

Even as she sat alone in her apartment, huddled up in a blanket, she didn't regret not telling him to stop. She only wished that their friendship had been strong enough to survive. No, she didn't regret sleeping with Greg; what she did regret was being his 'one night stand' instead of fighting for their relationship.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

_They lay in bed afterwards, cuddled up as the snow started to fall again. "You know, technically its Christmas now."_

"_Hmm, Merry Christmas Greggo." She snuggled into him and kissed his bare chest as he traced patterns up and down her spine. _

"_Merry Christmas Lex." He kissed the top of her head and sighed contentedly. They had both fallen asleep soon afterwards but when she had woken up, things were back to normal and Greg was acting as if it hadn't even happened. _

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

She turned twenty five tomorrow but she hadn't told anyone, the only person that knew was Gil Grissom and he hadn't told anyone as she had requested him not to. She was just going to go pretend that it was another normal day off work, birthdays didn't seem worth celebrating anymore; every year was the same…lonely because she was in Las Vegas and her family weren't. She had the other CSIs of course but they were all too busy with their own lives to care about hers. Catherine and Grissom were together now, as of Christmas, Sara was jealous of Catherine because she had the one guy that she wanted, Warrick and his girlfriend were getting married and making wedding plans, Nick had a new girlfriend and Greg was…well…she didn't really speak to him that much anymore.

She sighed and walked into her bedroom, changing into her pyjamas and climbing into bed, thinking of a time when it was his bed that she was climbing into.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

"Grissom, have you got a minute?" Greg stood in the doorway, shuffling from side to side.

"Sure Greg, what's the matter?" Greg walked into his office and closed the door behind him then sat down in a chair opposite Grissom's desk.

"I was just wondering if Lexxi's said anything to you." He looked at Grissom with raised eyebrows.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, it's just…she's be acting weird these last few days and I just…" He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Listen Greg, she's just been feeling a little out of place recently; she'll be ok." Grissom tried to reassure him but he kept pushing.

"Yeah but Gris' she's been acting weird." Grissom sighed and rubbed his eyes before replying.

"You're her best friend, correct?" Greg silently nodded. "Then don't let her find out I told you this, tomorrow is her birthday; she told me not to tell anyone but you're her best friend…don't let her spend it on her own. I'm giving you the day off tomorrow and I want you to help her get through it, she's got no family here…well except for us but she has no real family so I want you to look after her. Can I trust you to do that?"

"Yes sir, I'll give her a birthday to remember."

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

The next morning at half past seven, Lexxi woke up to hear a knocking at the door. She sighed and climbed out of bed, slipping on a dressing gown and walking to the front door. She opened it a crack, enough to see who was outside and sighed as she realised it was Greg. "Greg, what are you doing here?" She pulled the door completely open and ushered him inside then closed the door behind him. He looked at her and smiled as she agitatedly asked, "Do you wanna explain why you're here, waking me up so early on my day off?"

He grinned at her and she looked at him, confused and wary as to what he wanted at this time in the morning. "I thought we could hang out…we haven't done that in a while." His voice had a hint of sadness and she looked at him, noting that the sadness reached his eyes too, despite his smile.

"Ok then, sounds like fun." She smiled at him before telling him, "Well you might as well make yourself at home, I need to get changed before we do anything." She smiled at him and turned to walk back into her bedroom but he called her name and she turned to face him again. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry; I know things have been a bit…weird between us but I…well I mean, you're still my best friend…in the entire world." He looked down at the floor, embarrassed. "I just wanted you to know that."

She smiled to herself then walked forwards and wrapped her arms around his waist. He looked up, surprised but then wrapped his arms around her shoulders and smiled. "I have missed you so much." She snuggled into him, months of tension and awkwardness melting away.

"I haven't been anywhere and we aren't going to get anywhere today if you don't get a move on and get changed." He pulled away from her smiling and she dropped her arms to her sides, turning and walking off down the hall as Greg whispered, "I've missed you too Lexxi Seymour, I've missed you too."

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

At exactly nine o'clock, Greg and Lexxi were walking through the park, laughing and joking just like old times. "So we walked into the lab to find him doing 'The Robot'." Lexxi burst into a fit of laughter, not quite believing what she had just heard. The very thought of David Hodges dancing in the lab was bad enough but the thought of him doing 'The Techno Robot', as Greg had put it, was even worse.

"You have got to be kidding me." She laughed and he grinned at her, glad that she was having a good time.

"Nope, I kid not; David Hodges was dancing in the lab." They finally stopped at the top of a hill and sat down. "So what d'you wanna do today? I planned to hang out with you but I didn't actually make a list of stuff to do."

She laughed, typical of Greg to plan a day out but not plan anything to do. "I don't mind, I'm just glad we're hanging out together again." Greg lay down on the grass and stared at the sky, silently looking up at the clouds. "What are you doing?"

"That cloud looks like a dog." He fell silent again and concentrated on the sky as Lexxi looked at him, a smile gracing her lips. He looked at her and smiled then grabbed the back of her hooded top and pulled her backwards to lie down next to him. "Look, there's its tail." He pointed to the cloud and she tilted her head, agreeing with him.

"You're right it does…and that one looks like a horse, if you look at it from this angle." He tilted his head, mirroring her position.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

They hung around the park for most of the day, doing childish things like playing tag and rolling down hills holding hands. Eventually it reached five o'clock and Greg walked Lexxi back to her apartment. When they got there, she turned to face him and smiled. "Thanks for a great day Greg; you wanna come in for a drink?"

"No I can't, I need to get ready for tonight." Her smile faded slightly.

"Oh, you got a hot date or somethin'?" She tried to keep her voice light and teasing but he detected the hint of jealousy in her words and smiled.

"No…well kinda…I'm taking you out to dinner." She looked at him, surprise written all over her face. "Well you know, if you want to." She looked at him awkwardly and didn't reply so he tried to put her at ease. "It isn't a date, more of a…friendly dinner I guess."

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, ok then but you really don't have to…things are ok between us now."

"I want to, so be ready for seven and I shall pick you up." She smiled at him and thanked him, not realising that he knew it was her birthday. "Don't worry about it, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you later." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then headed home to get changed for dinner.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

At quarter to seven, he knocked on the front door, the flowers hidden behind his back. She opened the door and he smiled at her. "Come in."

He walked into her apartment and presented the flowers. "These are for you; you look lovely by the way." She was dressed in a strapless, knee length, black dress which was fitted at the top and flared out lightly at the knees. It had a red tie around the middle which was tied in a bow at her side and a matching red ribbon tied around her neck. On her feet she wore a pair of strappy, high heeled shoes with little, red diamante crosses on the buckles. Her purple hair was up in a clip; her shorter layers partially spiked and the rest straightened. She closed the door behind him and turned to look at him.

"Thank you, they're beautiful and you're lookin' pretty spiffy yourself." Greg was dressed in a pair of black, flared jeans, a black fitted shirt and a black and white, pinstripe blazer jacket. He wore a pair of black 'Converse All Stars' on his feet and his hair was gelled up in its usual spiky state. She took the flowers off him and walked into the kitchen as he followed behind her. She took a vase out of the cupboard under the sink and filled it with water then put the flowers into the vase. "So do you want a drink before we leave?"

He shook his head and took her hand. "No we'd better get going, I've made reservations for half past." She nodded and picked up her purse and keys then allowed him to lead her outside. She turned and locked the apartment door then followed him down the stairs and out of the building.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

When they reached the restaurant, a waiter led them outside onto the balcony and Lexxi looked at Greg, a surprised smile on her face. "Greg, how did you..." She trailed off, amazed; not only had he brought her to her favourite restaurant but he had also managed to get a table outside.

"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" He smiled at her and pulled her chair out for her then sat down on the chair opposite.

"Are you ready to order or would you just like to order your drinks?" The waiter politely asked Greg and he looked at Lexxi. "You ready to order yet?"

"Umm, no can we just order our drinks first?" Lexxi asked the waiter and he nodded.

"Certainly, sir what can I get for you?" Greg looked at the wine list but had absolutely no idea what the differences between them were.

"Lex, any preferences?" He grinned at her and she laughed, he had no idea what he was doing but she was no expert with wine either.

"No, I trust your judgement will be fine." He sighed and closed his eyes, running his finger over the wine list and choosing the one he stopped on. The waiter told him that it was a good choice and left them to browse the menus. "You have no idea what you just ordered, have you?"

He shook his head. "No but I ran my finger down the white wine list, I know you hate red wine." She smiled and opened her menu, deciding what to have for dinner. In the end, she chose the lasagne and Greg chose the chicken risotto. They ate dinner and made polite conversation but Greg seemed to have something on his mind and Lexxi wondered if he was thinking back to the Christmas Morning that they had spent together.

He was staring into space when she waved her hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention. "Earth to Greg, come in Greg." He suddenly snapped out of his daze and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine, sorry I just…zoned out I guess." She smiled at him and he laughed. "I seem to be doing that a lot nowadays." She just nodded and they finished the rest of their dinner.

After dinner they had shared chocolate cake and ice cream for desert and she though that although he didn't know it was her birthday, it had been the best one she had had in a long time. When dinner was over he had paid the cheque despite her constant protests that they should go halves. He simply smiled and tipped the waiter then took her arm and led her out of the restaurant. "We still should have gone halves."

"I said I was gonna take you out dinner and I did." He smiled at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine but I'm buying dinner next time." He sighed but agreed with her, if it would put an end to the discussion then he was fine with that. They decided to walk back as it was a clear evening but as the walked the unusually quiet streets, she shivered and he realised that's he was cold. He took off his coat and gently laid it over her shoulders. "Greg, you'll end up cold."

"I'll be fine, besides I have sleeves and you don't." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she snuggled into him, thanking him for everything he had done for her. "Don't mention it, things have been awkward between us lately and I wanted to fix that."

She smiled at him and wrapped both arms around his waist as they continued walking. "I'm glad we're friends again." He agreed and they walked the rest of the way back to his apartment in silence.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

When they reached his apartment, he unlocked the door and let her in, locking the door behind them both. "So, you want a drink?" She looked around his apartment awkwardly; she hadn't been in it since that fateful day that their friendship had broken up.

"Sure, thank you." He told her to make herself at home so she walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa, looking at the pictures on the fireplace. One in particular caught her attention, it was a picture of the team opening presents and she knew it had been taken on Christmas Eve when they had been snowed in at the lab. She had gotten a beautiful scarf off Catherine and she was wearing it in the picture. Everyone was sitting with their presents and Greg was sitting with Lexxi on his lap, his chin on her shoulder.

"One of my favourite pictures." He broke her out of her trance and she looked up at him to find him with a wistful expression on his face. "That turned out to be one of the best Christmases I have ever had." His voice was soft but he still hadn't said anything about what had happened when they had gotten home that night. "Here you go." He handed her the glass of wine and she smiled up at him, silently thanking him.

"So, a little bird told me that today is your birthday." She sighed and looked at the floor. "Why didn't you tell me Lex?"

"I didn't want anyone to know, no point in trying to celebrate your birthday if there's no one there to help you celebrate it." Her voice was soft and sad.

"I would have been here and before you ask, Grissom told be but I practically bored it out of him so go easy on him." She said nothing, keeping her gaze fixed on the carpet. He slid a finger under her chin and tipped her head up to look at her. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you these past few months but it doesn't mean I don't care. You really think that I'd let you spend your birthday on your own?"

She shook her head and he dropped his hand. "I'm sorry, I just…" She trailed off, not knowing how to finish her sentence.

"Wait here, I have somethin' for you." She looked at him confused. "I know you didn't want a fuss and don't worry, I'm not 'fussing'." She laughed and he stood up then walked into the kitchen, emerging with a cupcake which had a candle sticking out of it. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Lexxi, happy birthday to you!" Lexxi smiled, he was tuneless and it was possibly the worst singing she had ever heard but it was such a sweet thing to do. He sat down and handed her the cake. "Make a wish."

She smiled then blew out the candle and looked him in the eyes. "Thank you so much Greg, this is so sweet." He looked away shyly and Lexxi had to grin at how cute he looked when he was flustered. She looked down at the cake and noticed the sweet which rested on the top, it was a sherbet Love Heart; her favourite type of sweets. She smiled but her smile faded as she read what it said, there in red letters, was written the words 'Be Mine'. Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked at Greg, wondering if it was a random one he had chosen or whether it meant something. "G…Greg?"

"I mean it. Ever since that 'one night stand' we had, I haven't been able to get you out of my head." He looked at her, sincerity shining in his eyes.

"I…what…what are you trying to say Greg?" She looked at him, desperately wanting him to tell her that he cared about her as more than a friend.

"I have regretted that 'one night stand' since it happened, that's why I haven't said anything about it. I couldn't let myself fall for you, I've been hurt too many times and I don't think I can go through any more heartache but…but I can't lose you Lex." He looked down at the floor, ashamed of being such an insecure geek.

"What? You aren't going to lose me." Her voice was sincere and she took his hands in hers, making him look up at her.

"I'm just scared. I want to be with you so much and I regret letting that night turn into a one night stand because I really did mean everything I said to you. I don't wanna be 'just friends' anymore, I don't wanna be the guy you come to with relationship problems or because you need a shoulder to cry on. I wanna be the guy that you come home to after work, the one that holds your hand when we're walking in the park, the one…the one that you wake up next to in the morning and I know that I don't deserve you and that I fucked you around before but I swear I would never purposely hurt you. I didn't ask to fall in love with you Lexxi but somewhere along the line I did and…" He sighed and trailed off, looking at her expectantly but she said nothing; just sat and stared at him. "Lexxi? Say somethin."

Her voice was soft and quiet and he had to strain to hear her. "Y…you…you l…love me?"

He looked her in the eyes and smiled a small, shy smile. "Yeah, I love you."

She leaned forwards and joined her lips to his in a soft and gentle kiss, much like the one they had shared under the mistletoe in the lab at Christmas. The only difference was, this one held promises for the future. She pulled away from him and he raised his eyebrows, silently pleading for forgiveness. "Yeah, I forgive you." He smiled a goofy smile, the one she had known, loved and missed. Then he leaned forwards and pressed his lips to hers again, this time kissing her more passionately and moaning into her mouth as she granted him access. He stood up and took her hands in his, without pulling his lips away from hers, and started backing them down the hall to the bedroom. Half way down the hall, they pulled away from each other and she let go of his hands, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him to her. She kissed him again before pulling back to look him in the eyes. "I…love…you…too." Each word was punctuated with a kiss then she pulled away from him and took his hand, tugging him into the bedroom and pushing him onto the bed.

"Lex, we don't have to do this tonight because I told you that I loved you." He needed to give her the chance to opt out, not wanting her to regret this in the morning.

"I'm not doing this because I feel like I have to, I'm doing this because I want to." With that she pushed him back into the mattress and claimed his lips again.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

Later that night they lay in bed; Greg on his back and Lexxi snuggled into his side, tracing lazy circles on his chest. She placed a kiss on the spot where his heart was and then snuggled into him again. "Hmm, what you thinking about?"

"Us." Was his simple but complex answer and it made her smile hearing him referring to them as an 'us'.

"So there is an 'us' then?" She needed to be certain.

"Damn right there is. I am not letting you go again, never ever." Greg was the first one to fall asleep but Lexxi lay listening to his heartbeat, thinking about what had happened between them.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

A few hours later, she woke up with a smile on her face but it soon faded when she rolled over to find a cold, empty space next to her. She groaned and covered her eyes as she felt the tears rising. "How could I have been so stupid?" She whispered to herself as she rolled back onto her side and buried her face in the pillow, willing her silent sobs to cease. When she managed to calm down, she sat up and swung her legs over the bed then slipped on her underwear and the black shirt that Greg had worn the night before. She stood up and walked out of the bedroom and down the hall. "Greg?" She checked the bathroom, the kitchen and the living room; disappointed when she found them empty. "Greg?" She walked out onto his small balcony and found him staring out at the still dark sky. Creeping up behind him, so as not to scare him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his bare back. "Thought you'd run away."

He laughed softly before turning in her arms and wrapping his around her shoulders, leaning back against the balcony railing. "Why would you think that?"

Her voice was soft. "Well when you sleep with someone for a second time and wake up alone again, you start to feel a bit jinxed."

He realised what she must have thought and sighed before kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't think but I couldn't sleep and I didn't wanna wake you up." He leaned down and passionately kissed her on the lips. "Forgive me?"

She nodded and smiled then kissed him. "Yeah, sorry I overreacted; after last time I guess I'm just insecure."

"Don't be, I'm in this for good now; I'm not gonna leave you again. I love you Lex, you mean everything to me."

"I love you too Greggo…I just don't wanna lose you again." She snuggled into him and he held her to his chest.

"You aren't going to, me and you…it's all I've ever wanted. We'll be ok, so you can stop worrying." She relaxed completely in his arms and looked down at her. "That shirt looks so much better on you than it does on me."

She grinned mischievously at him. "It looked even better on your bedroom floor." He laughed and then contentedly sighed.

"You ready to go back inside?" He looked down at her with raised eyebrows and she nodded.

"Yeah, come on; it's cold out here." She pulled away and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders then led her inside. They reached the bedroom and she climbed onto the bed. "You know, this is probably one of the best birthdays I have ever had."

He sat down next to her and smiled. "Glad I could make it special. Oh that reminds me…I have a present for you."

"For me?" She looked at him, shock written all over her face. "Greg, you really didn't…"

He cut her off with a kiss as she slid her hands into his hair, trying to pull him closer. When they finally pulled apart, she smiled at him and he grinned. "Yes, for you." He stood up and walked out of the bedroom, entering a few minutes later with the gift which was in a gold box with silver ribbon tied around it and a silver, sparkly bow on top. "Happy birthday for yesterday sweetheart."

"Oh Greg, I…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Well go on, open it." He encouraged her and she untied the ribbon then opened the box.

"It's beautiful." It was a silver picture frame with 'Best Friends' written on the top in pink, glittery writing. Inside it was a picture of her and Greg; the picture had been taken at a 'team building' seminar. Sara had told them to smile and they had but at the last minute Greg had leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I love it, thank you so much."

"You're welcome, there's another present at the bottom."

She looked through the tissue in the box and pulled out a smaller box. She opened it and was shocked to find a silver charm bracelet containing seven charms; a ring, a heart, a lock and key, a crystal blue glass bead, an eagle, dice and a cocktail glass. "Oh my gosh…Greg it's…" She trailed off, her eyes filling up with tears. He smiled and pulled her into his arms as she snuggled into his chest.

"Glad you like it, each charm symbolises the time we've spent together."

She looked at the bracelet and smiled. The ring symbolised the promise ring he had given her as a present to cheer her up when her boyfriend had left her. The heart represented his love for her; he happily pointed this out as she looked at the bracelet in amazement. The glass bead symbolised the day he had met her, he had been trying to get DNA off a beaded necklace and she had laughed at him when he had accidentally snapped the necklace; he had been suspended for a week because of that event. The eagle, he told her, was supposed to show what a strong willed person she was, unafraid to stand alone and always willing to stand up for him when no one else would. The dice were to represent Vegas, the town in which they had met. The cocktail glass was to represent the first time they had been out together, the entire team had gone out for drinks and Lexxi and Catherine had gotten drunk off cocktails; Greg had held her hair back as she threw up in the gutter, not caring that the sight before him had been disgusting. She laughed when he reminded her and explained the significance of it, telling her that even when she looked like hell and when she'd been throwing up; she had still been the most beautiful person he had ever seen. When she had asked him about the lock and key, he told her that it was to symbolise the fact that she held the key to his heart; he had gone on to tell her that she always would.

As they lay in bed, an hour later, she realised that there was no one else she would rather spend her birthday, or indeed her life, with. The one night stand they had had at Christmas had meant so much more and although it had taken them a while to reach the place they were at now, Lexxi didn't regret a minute of it. She realised that she was home and as long as Greg was by her side, she would be spending the rest of her birthdays in Vegas because the saying, 'Home is where the heart is', finally meant something to her. Greg Sanders was her best friend, her boyfriend and the only guy that she could imagine spending eternity with and never again would she worry about losing him because she knew that they belonged together.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

**A/N:** Thanks for reading, hope you all enjoyed it. Pretty, pretty please review, they're always loved and I always reply. Also I am sorry if there are any spelling or grammatical errors but I did write parts of this at ridiculous times in the morning to get it finished. Thanks again for reading.

_** - CSI – CSI – CSI – CSI- **_

_"Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship…never."_

_Charles Caleb Colton_

_A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.  
Unknown_


End file.
